Use These Tips to Take Striking Black and White Photos on Your Smartphone
Key Takeaways
- Experiment with classic subjects like portraits and urban landscapes for stunning black and white photography.
- Frame shots with awareness, envisioning the scene in black and white and focusing on standout elements with contrast.
- Shoot in color and then convert to black and white with editing apps while experimenting with different filters and tweaks.
Black and white photography can be a stunning alternative to color photography. And yet, most smartphone photographers will ignore the power of black and white photography, whether through ignorance or a perceived lack of skill.
I’m here to dispel any myths around black and white photography, encourage you to give it a go, and offer some tips and advice on how to get good results. Because if you get monochrome photos right, they can look absolutely amazing.
What Subjects Make for Good Black and White Photos?
The first thing to consider is what subjects make for good black and white photography. Ultimately, you shouldn’t let this conversation prevent you from testing all subjects out in black and white, as experimentation is a key tenet of photography. However, some subjects definitely make for better black and white shots than others.
Portraits, street photography, and urban landscapes are all classic subjects for black and white photography. This is because the monochrome finish adds a gritty realism to these shots. In more general terms, subjects that have stand-out elements that aren’t reliant on colors are the key. So, strong lines, patterns, shapes, or textures. Strong variances between light levels. And images that conjure up a downbeat mood.
However, any scene can work in black and white, so it’s worth experimenting. And that is made extremely easy with smartphone photography, as you can switch color photos to black and white with a single tap. So, if you want to conduct a black and white shoot specifically, target the traditional subjects that work, but then add in other shots that may work.
How to Adopt a Black and White Mindset When Shooting
Smartphone photography lends itself perfectly to on-the-fly shots taken as inspiration strikes. Which leads many people to ignore the fundamentals of shooting good photos. However, the one mobile photography technique guaranteed to work is to frame with awareness by taking an extra few seconds when lining up a shot. And this can stand you in good stead with black and white photography too.
Being able to picture what a scene you’re shooting will look like in black and white is a skill, but it’s one you can learn over time with perseverance. The key to success is literally seeing the world in black and white (and various shades of gray). So frame your shot and consider what it would look like with all the color sucked out of it.
Are there standout elements that contrast with others, or would everything in the frame melt into one gray mass? Is there a strong focal point in the picture that will draw people’s eyes in? Are there obvious areas of light and dark within the frame? Is there enough going on to hold people’s interest in the absence of any color?
Tips for Shooting Black and White Photos on Your Smartphone
The first thing to say here is that you should not bother shooting in black and white. Instead, shoot in color and then change it to black and white in post. All photo editing apps, including Google Photos and Snapseed (the two I personally use), have black and white filters and tools. However, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t already have it in mind when shooting that a photo might turn out to look better in black and white.
As for specific tips:
- When shooting, look for opportunities that would look good in black and white. This includes employing leading lines, using the rule of thirds, spotting signs of symmetry, capturing interesting patterns and textures, and taking a minimalist approach. With practice, you’ll see the potential for black and white shots everywhere you look.
- Look to include elements in your photos that would look good in monochrome and not rely on vibrant colors for interest. If a subject is too reliant on its bold colors, then it probably isn’t a candidate for black and white photography. However, if it boasts high levels of contrast, it probably is.
- Look for interesting sources of light, whether it’s filtering through clouds, lighting a specific area of the frame, or adding a strong contrast to your image. Light is an important element of all types of photography, but it’s absolutely crucial for black and white shots.
Tips for Editing Your Smartphone Photos Into Black and White
As we have already established, while it’s good to think about the possibility of turning a photo from color to black and white, and shooting with that in mind, the actual process can be handled in post. So here are some things to keep in mind when editing your smartphone photos from color to black and white:
- Try switching every photo you shoot from color to black and white to see what works and what doesn’t. This is the best way of training your brain to understand the fundamentals of black and white photography. After a day of shooting, open your photo editing app of choice, and apply a black and white filter to each image in turn. If it works, save a copy, and if it doesn’t, discard your edits.
- Most photo editing apps will offer multiple black and white filters, all of which produce slightly different results. So try them all. Snapseed, which I recommend to all smartphone photographers, also boasts a dedicated black and white tool that offers tweaks beyond filters. Changing the brightness, contrast, and/or grain can have a huge impact, and create unique black and white photos.
- Try editing your images in other ways both before and after turning them from color to black and white. This could include dialing up the contrast to the highest it will go, or reducing the sharpness of the image. By tweaking quite specific elements, you can create some unique black and white photos. You can even use the same settings for multiple photos to create your own style.
A lot of amateur photographers will avoid black and white photography, opting instead to go all-in on color. However, thanks to the power of smartphone cameras and image editors, black and white photography is now accessible to everyone, so why not experiment with it yourself?